Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay
July 2, 2024 - WASHINGTON—A Florida man was sentenced to prison today after he previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Raymund Joseph Cholod, 54, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. Cholod pleaded guilty to a felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers on Feb. 12, 2024.
According to court documents, Cholod was among a mob of rioters that illegally engaged in a physical confrontation with law enforcement officers in and around the Lower West Terrace Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol building. The Tunnel was created by the construction of a stage for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration and was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th. Over the course of more than two hours, members of the mob threw items at police, struck police with items, sprayed police with chemical irritants, pushed against the police, and stole items from the police defending the Tunnel.
Court documents say that at approximately 2:41 p.m., Cholod was among the first group of rioters to enter the Tunnel and quickly made his way to the front of the mob of rioters confronting a police line. During this time, the mob, including Cholod, physically pushed up against the police line inside the Tunnel in a coordinated "Heave-ho" movement. Court documents say that Cholod pushed up against a nearby police officer despite the officer telling him to "stop" and briefly grabbed the edge of a U.S. Capitol police riot shield.
Cholod left the Tunnel at approximately 2:54 p.m. but remained in the area immediately outside on the Lower West Terrace. At about 4:30 p.m., Cholod picked up a long black solid stick from the ground and threw it into the mouth of the Tunnel where he knew that police officers were standing by and attempting to keep rioters out of the Capitol building. Court documents say that the solid stick was capable of causing serious bodily injury.
The FBI arrested Cholod on Nov. 3, 2023, in Miami, Florida.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida provided valuable assistance.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Tampa and Washington Field Offices. Cholod was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #260 on the FBI’s seeking information photographs. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 41 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,450 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
